Malse Michigan Association of Laboratory Educators

Educating Tomorrow's Laboratory Investigators!

Welcome...

Educating Tomorrow's Laboratory Investigators

Welcome to the wonderful world of medical laboratory science. Did you
know that over nine billion laboratory tests are performed in the U.S.
each year? Did you know that lab testing is increasing in demand due to:

the population aging,

earlier detection and diagnosis of diseases,

the explosion of new technologies,

a resurgence of old diseases and discoveries of new diseases?

Laboratory education programs range
from on-the-job training to the medical doctor who specializes in the field
of pathology. National certification examinations are required for most
of the laboratory professions.

Career Outlook: GREAT! Shortages in all
areas (except pathologists) are both national and international. These
shortages are expected to continue in the next ten years meaning that jobs
will be readily available every where. Salaries are increasing. (Occupational Outlook Handbook)

Work environment: Fast paced and sometimes stressful.
Handling potentially infectious materials. This is a risk that students
are taught to manage with proper techniques and protective equipment.

Patient interaction: Varies. Phlebotomists
have a great deal of patient interaction. Depending on where professionals
work, they may have a moderate amount of patient interaction in a
small, physician office laboratory or may have very little patient
interaction in a large, medical center laboratory.